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A 5p charge on plastic bags comes into force for shoppers in Northern Ireland today, increasing pressure on England to follow other parts of the UK — and other parts of the world — in clamping down on the environmental damage they cause.

Almost 8 billion single-use carrier bags were used by shoppers in the UK in 2011, and Northern Ireland has today joined Wales in imposing a mandatory charge for the bags. A consultation on plans to do so in Scotland is also well under way.

This threatens to leave England as the odd one out in the UK — and even